Liquid chemicals, such as herbicides and pesticides, are commonly applied by use of a sprayer having long booms. This sprayer may be attached to a tractor, placed in the rear of a pickup, or be of a self-propelled nature. Typically, these sprayers will have long booms reaching out on either side to increase the area sprayed with each pass of the vehicle. As the boom length extends out from the vehicle pulling the sprayer, the ends of the booms are subject to more up and down movement as the vehicle travels over small bumps and ruts and thus, moves from side to side. Another problem with lengthening the booms is the tendency for the driver to misjudge distances from obstacles such as power poles, trees and fences, thus running the end of the boom into the obstacles, possibly damaging the boom and the obstacle, and causing costly down time.
The previously disclosed boom assemblies fail to disclose a breakaway mechanism that holds the inner and outer boom extensions firmly with respect to each other, while allowing the outer boom extension to move away from an obstruction regardless of the direction of travel of the sprayer or flex upward in the vertical plane to clear an obstruction.